Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to launch an open competition for a replacement lease service when the lease through Corporate Travel Management of the A321 aircraft in Global Britain livery, registered G-XATW, expires in two years or at the end of its potential extension period of five years.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As has been the case under successive Administrations, non-scheduled air travel is necessary at times for undertaking Government and Royal Household official visits. This may be to the timing and flexibility needed, for security reasons, or due to the location being visited. It can also provide better value for money in the cases of larger delegations (which can include journalists).
The Government has procured a single A321 aircraft for use by Ministers and senior members of the Royal Family. The aircraft was procured through an existing Crown Commercial Framework (RM6016 PSTVS Lot 4) in order to achieve a timely, beneficial and cost-effective solution for the government. Early market engagement concluded that a wet lease was able to offer the best balance between value for money, availability and operational flexibility.
The Cabinet Office ran a competition through the Framework and the winning supplier then offered three best options to meet the requirement. Based on this, cost estimates for the procurement of the aircraft were considered against a range of options and it was assessed that an initial term of 2 years, with the opportunity for annual extensions to the full life of the contract, offered the best balance between value for money and flexibility.
The decision to procure an aircraft was based on a range of factors including guaranteed availability; a biosecure aircraft; UK branding; and an aircraft with a transatlantic range. Before the contract is extended beyond the initial 2 years, an assessment will be made on the most cost-effective option that will range from extending the contract to launching an open competition for a new contract.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of veterans employed on zero hours contracts.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Government does not hold this data centrally. We are committed to ensuring that veterans have the best possible opportunities to secure rewarding and sustainable employment after their service and have taken a number of steps to support this. These include making it easier for veterans to join the Civil Service, introducing a National Insurance contribution holiday for employers of veterans and establishing a network of dedicated Armed Forces champions in JobCentre plus.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has conducted an equalities impact assessment of Voter ID proposals for LGBTQ+ people and those who do not have access to formal identification that reflects their gender identity.
Answered by Chloe Smith
An Equality Impact Assessment, which includes information on voter identification, was published alongside the Elections Bill:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3020/publications
We continue to work with local authorities, the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms, including the provision of the free, locally issued Voter Card, are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.
Everyone who is eligible to vote will continue to have the opportunity to do so.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on SMEs and their ability to export internationally outside of the EU.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
On 13 April, the Office for National Statistics released the latest statistics on EU-UK trade which show a welcome growth in the value of trade with the EU, with goods exports close to the average 2020 level.
The vast majority of traders and hauliers have adapted well, and our focus now is on making sure that any business that is still facing challenges gets the support they need. We are continuing to monitor and assess the situation, including any potential change in trade patterns.
We have made an additional £20m available to support SMEs with new requirements when trading with the EU. More info can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-20-million-sme-brexit-support-fund
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of the Help for Heroes recovery centres in (a) Yorkshire, (b) Devon and (c) Essex on the adequacy of support available to veterans; and what steps his Department is taking to maintain services for veterans during a period of falling charity income.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The MoD is continuing to work closely with Help for Heroes to transfer management responsibilities for the Personnel Recovery Centres whilst Help for Heroes’ introduce a new community based support model. Remote services will continue to be offered to veterans and the Government is continuing to monitor the situation, to ensure veterans can continue to access the support they need, whether via the NHS or the charitable sector.
This Government has provided unprecedented support to the service charity sector throughout the pandemic. As well as being able to access broader charity sector support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the sector has benefitted from a £6million COVID Impact Fund. In addition to the £10million per annum that the Government provides to the sector through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, in this year’s budget, the Trust has been allocated a further £10million to deliver charitable projects supporting veterans mental health needs.